A board meeting is an essential component of the decision making process of a business. The purpose is to ensure that the management of an organization is conducted in an efficient and transparent way. This requires implementing the best practices for productivity and strategic decision making.

At a board meeting one of the primary items you must do is set up the board structure. This includes committees as well as governance policies. This creates an ideal basis for future meetings and also allows the board to make most appropriate decisions at the beginning of the meeting.

A review of the performance metrics like sales, marketing traffic, and market share is another important aspect to be included in the board meeting to determine if or not goals have been achieved. Board members can also discuss ways to overcome obstacles.

The distraction of discussions on new topics can take up the time for the board meeting and distract from important agenda items. This can be mitigated by including a “parking lot” on the final page of the agenda, where any unrelated subjects can be left to be discussed at a later board meeting software time.

Some companies start their board meetings with a success story to avoid boring meetings. This can be an effective way to motivate the meeting’s participants and energize the participation of those present. It is also possible to start the meeting by asking a brief question or acknowledging the accomplishments of a colleague prior to the main discussion. Additionally, using the appropriate video conference management software can help keep meetings on track and keep them energized. With the right software the moderator is able to mute and unmute remote cameras and microphones, cut participants off of the conference or assign speakers, etc.